Back Shelf Beauties
by Willie Waffle
|
Christmas With The
Kranks
When a movie is based on a John Grisham book, you expect it to end up in
some climactic courtroom scene where lots of well-dressed lawyers with pretty
white teeth jump up and yell, "I object." However, the only people yelling,
"I object," in this film are the audience members who are disappointed with
its typical, cliché, and unadventurous story. They might not jump
up and walk out, but they won't be telling friends to rush out and see it
either.
Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis star as Luther and Nora Krank - two empty
nesters facing the first Christmas without their beloved college co-ed daughter,
Blair (Julie Gonzalo). Nora is brokenhearted and traumatized at the prospect,
but Luther sees an opportunity. Because he's an accountant and cheapskate,
Luther crunches some numbers and discovers they spend $6000 on Christmas
every year, but they could take a fancy Christmas cruise for just $3000.
Luther convinces Nora they should skip Christmas, refuse to buy gifts, choose
not to send out cards, avoid the company party and more, which slowly alienates
them from friends, co-workers, neighbors and family.
At the last minute, when Blair decides to come home for Christmas, can Luther
and Nora put together their traditional, over blown Christmas celebration?
Will anyone help?
Christmas With The Kranks is one of those
movies with the promise to be outrageous, twisted and hilarious with a wonderful
satire of Christmas commercialism gone awry, but it never lives up to your
hopes and dreams. Instead, director Joe Roth and writer Chris Columbus (he
walked away from Harry Potter for this?!?!?!)
go for the typical jokes and pratfalls you have seen a zillion times before.
You will laugh at much of this, but it's not a hearty, fulfilling guffaw.
It's more like a Christmas snack that leaves you wanting more until dinnertime.
The only aspect of the movie to get your attention and stay with you after
walking out of the theater is the cool soundtrack full of rock and roll's
best holiday tunes (thank you Little Steven, who supervised the music).
Allen, Curtis and co-stars Dan Akroyd and M. Emmett Walsh are all capable
of great comedy, and it's their ability that keeps you interested throughout
the predictable jokes and silly slapstick, but you never feel like
Christmas With The Kranks is something
special. Akroyd gets some chuckles as the neighborhood boss, Frohmeyer (a
suburban, comical Tony Soprano), who tries to enforce uniformity and neighborhood
spirit by cajoling the Kranks to put up their decorations like everyone else,
while Walsh has some funny moments as the neighbor across the street who
doesn't hide his hate for Luther. However, Allen and Curtis aren't expected
to do much but get beat up in the name of comedy. They take the physical
torture well and with some zeal, but it feels like a waste of their respective
immense talents.
Worst of all, Roth and Columbus don't know when to end the movie (do I have
to say this for every single movie that is released?!?!). The two have presented
a very simple story, but they try to complicate matters towards the end with
some potential danger for the Kranks that is unnecessary. Since it's a holiday
tale, I'll accept the sappy part of the ending, but this other plot twist
is a complete waste of time that adds nothing to the story or anything we
feel for our heroes.
If you're looking for cheap laughs packaged with a holiday theme, this movie
is for you, but it will play better on cable or DVD next year.
1 ½ Waffles (Out Of
4)
Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
|